New Life
by YazooFan23
Summary: Cloud Decides to Give Kadaj another chance to live life the right way, and takes him to live at Seventh Heaven. Meanwhile, Reno and Rude find Yazoo in the rubble of the collapsed tunnel and take him to Healin Lodge. XD CloudxKadaj YazooxReno KadajxYazoo
1. Chapter 1

A loud bang, a flash of light... and then nothing. That was all Yazoo and Loz remembered.

XXX

Chapter one

The teen charged at the blond swordsman, his double bladed Katana, Souba, held high. The blond, known as Cloud, raised his own weapon awaiting the battle that was sure to come. To his great surprise the young teen, by the name of Kadaj, gave a weak gasp and fell, unable to support his own weight any longer. Cloud quickly dived forward and caught the youth before he hit the ground. Kadaj fell limply into Cloud's arms, not trying to resist the blond's supporting embrace.

"Niisan..." Kadaj murmured, his voice cracking slightly as he looked up into the blue eyes of the other. There was moment of silence, then Kadaj's eyes widened and he whispered, "Mother..." Cloud looked down at the broken youth in his arms. What was this feeling? So sudden and new. Was it regret? Did Cloud actually feel bad about the fact that this once so confident, strong and beautiful youth was going to die because he had believed the biggest illusion life could offer? Because he had believed that he could find love and freedom in the form someone who had, from the begging, planned to use him and then dispose of him? Cloud was suddenly full of a desire to help the young warrior, to show him that there was more to life than being someone's vessel.

There was a silence, then Cloud heard it. Her voice. Whispering sweetly in his head. Aerith.

"Do you think he deserves this" Cloud blinked, "He is very young. A child really. I think he could change... if he was shown a little kindness." Cloud looked down at the youth, his eyes were closed, but he was still alive, and Cloud felt that feeling again. He thought for a short moment. Aerith did have a point, for Kadaj was young, perhaps he could change. But what exactly was she suggesting? That Cloud adopt the youth? Take him home? Care for him? How could he do that, especially when his history with the boy was nothing but violence and loathing. No, not loathing. Cloud had never felt that he hated the youth, and it was clear that Kadaj did not hate Cloud. "Forgive, Cloud..." the voice said, gently. Cloud swallowed, thinking it over. Then after a moment, he nodded. "Good. Take good care of them, Cloud." And then her voice was gone before Cloud could even respond to her words.

Cloud glanced back down at the teen, to find that he had passed out. Then something occurred to him. Aerith had said "take good care of _them_" what did that mean? But Cloud was distracted from his thoughts by Cid's aircraft landing close by, and it wasn't long before Tifa and Yuffie were running towards him. However, they stopped short as soon as they got close enough to see who Cloud had in his arms. It was Tifa who approached first. She looked from Cloud to the youth he was holding in his arms.

"Cloud..." she knelt down in front of him, and looking at the unconscious teen.

"Tifa, I... I need your help," Cloud muttered, avoiding her gaze. Tifa looked up at him. It had been a very long time since Cloud had asked her a favor, it had been a long time since he had wanted something. Tifa decided then and there, that no matter what this favor was, she would do her best to help her old friend.

"What do you need, Cloud?" she asked, gently.

"Do you think I could bring him back to Seventh Heaven? Just for a while," Cloud asked, gesturing towards Kadaj with a small nod of his head. Tifa looked from her old friend to the youth in his arms, and she noticed how gently Cloud was cradling him, and how peaceful and innocent Kadaj looked. She thought for a moment, then smiled warmly.

"Yeah, of course." Cloud gave her the smallest of smiles, then gathered the teen in his arms, and stood up. He looked at Tifa and gestured for her to get Kadaj's sword, which was lying on the ground, he then began walking slowly over to Cid's aircraft. As he passed Yuffie she craned her neck to get a better look at the teen she had thought was their enemy. She didn't understand why Cloud didn't just kill him. Hadn't he caused enough disaster? Tifa walked swiftly behind Cloud, holding Kadaj's double bladed Katana, she gave Yuffie a '-I'll-explain-everything-later-' sort of look, then followed Cloud into the airship.

The moment they entered the ship they were greeted by loud cheers from everyone except Vincent and Red, who chose to stay silent. However, the cheers automatically died as soon as they saw who Cloud had carried in with him. There was a long shocked pause, then to Cloud's great relief Tifa stepped forward and said, "Cid, I need you to take us to my bar right away," Cid nodded, not looking at her but at the teen in Cloud's arms. "In the meantime," Tifa continued, "is there anywhere we could put him for the time being?" Cid nodded and pointed to a door in far corner of the large room they were standing in.

"Yeah, if you just go through that door, there's a hall, just walk down it a little ways and you'll find a room with a few bunks," Cid muttered, still staring at the remnant.

"Thanks," Tifa said, walking towards the door. Cloud followed her, avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the room.

They found a suitable room, and it wasn't long before Cloud lay the unconscious teen onto a small bunk bed. Tifa brushed her dark hair out of her eyes and looked up at Cloud, who was looking at the remnant with an unreadable expression. "You think we should just leave him to sleep?" she asked. Cloud looked up, shaking his head.

"No. He's hurt." Tifa looked back down at the teen; he looked fine to her.

"I don't see anything wrong with him." Cloud shook his head again, then bent down and carefully unzipped the youth's leather uniform. Tifa gasped. Under the leather were deep wounds that went across the teens stomach and lower chest. They were bleeding heavily and looked exceptionally painful. Cloud drew back as the blood escaped the case of leather and began soaking the mattress under the youth. "Oh my God," Tifa breathed, "how did this happen? How come there are no holes or cuts in his uniform?" She looked up at the blond, confused. Cloud was looking at all the blood with something like self-disgust in his eyes.

"When I attacked Sephiroth, he must have used Kadaj's body as a sort of... outlet to transfer the damage. That was the plan... to use Kadaj as a second life force so Sephiroth wouldn't weaken so quickly." Tifa watched him for a moment, until his eyes snapped up to meet hers and he said, in an urgent voice, "We have to help him. Go, get anything that will help clean this up." Tifa nodded and ran out of the room, determination in her dark eyes.

It didn't take long for Tifa to find the necessary items and she was back in hardly any time at all. She carried with her a few bottle's of potion, some form of antiseptic and bandages. A lot of bandages. "This was all I could find," she said, "but I think it will work." Cloud nodded. The door opened and they both looked around to see Vincent. Tifa stood up straight, eyeing the quiet man. Vincent stepped inside keeping his eyes on Kadaj, who now seemed to be struggling for breath. "Vincent, I'm glad you're here. You think you could help us with this? He's really badly hurt," said Tifa, gesturing towards Kadaj. Without even looking at her, Vincent nodded. "Thanks," she said, gratefully. "Now, let's get him cleaned up."

**Ok! Here's the first chapter that I ACTUALLY got around to typing up. Mind you, it's pretty crappy because I did it late at night like RIGHT after homework, so it's not perfect. But Oh well! I don't care! At least I finally did something! Haha, well there are more chapters on the way so hope you enjoy! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

XXX

Chapter Two

"I don't believe this!" said Reno, angrily. "After everything turned out alright, after all the little kids were cured of their Geostigma, after The Boss got cured, he tells us to come back out here and clean all this shit up!" Reno gestured to the large mound of rubble in front of the tunnel that he had blown up in order to destroy the two Sephiroth clones. It had been three days since then, and Reno had thought that he could have some time off now that the three crazy clones were dead. But no, just this morning Rufus Shinra had called he and Rude into his office and told them that they had to go clean up the rubble at the tunnel, so here they were.

"Rufus is doing a very clever thing," Rude said, "he's trying give Shinra a good reputation." Reno let out a bitter laugh,

"Well, I hate to burst the shining bubble of hope, but that's going to take a lot more than cleaning up some junk on a highway. Also, why does he need _us_ to do it? He could just get a team or something."

"Rufus has his reasons for doing what he does," said Rude, calmly. Reno rolled his eyes at his partner,

"You know, you could take my side just his once," he said, glancing at Rude. Rude didn't reply.

They both stared at the rubble for a moment, then Reno heaved a sigh and said, "Well, I guess we'd better start. It's not going to clean itself up, as much as I'd like that." Rude nodded, and the two set to work. Reno didn't know what Rufus Shinra expected them to accomplish, most of the rubble was much to heavy for either of them to move. Reno could tell that there was more to this job than just shifting rock, although he couldn't figure out. He couldn't help think that Rufus expected them to find something out here other than rocks and dust.

An hour or so passed in which nothing particularly interesting happened, except Reno managing to hit himself in the face with his own hand while trying to shift a slab of cement that was much too heavy for him. "Man, I'm tired," said Reno, collapsing onto a slab of concrete. Rude waited patiently for his partner to regain his energy , then set to work once more. Reno began shifting more rock, and then something shiny caught his eye. He bent down and pulled a large gun out from underneath the rubble. "Hey!" he yelled over his shoulder , "look at this!" Rude walked slowly over and looked at the large gleaming gun in Reno's hand.

"What about it?" Rude asked,

"Oh come on, doesn't it look familiar?" Reno asked, turning the gun over in his hands. Rude shrugged which caused Reno to roll his eyes impatiently. "Rude, come on. Look at it!" a blank look swept over Rude's face, causing Reno to snap, "Oh for Christ sake, it's the gun that that long haired, bastard Sephiroth clone had, remember?" Rude nodded, and Reno shook his head. He examined the large gun in his hand and suddenly found himself extremely grateful that the remnant hadn't used this gun on him. He could have blown Reno's head off if he had wanted to... so why hadn't he? It would have been a hell of a lot easier than fighting the way they had. Reno didn't get it, and frankly, he didn't really want to think about it. He set the gun on a slab of concrete next to his jacket, which he had taken off a little while ago because it was getting hot.

More pointless time passed, and Reno had almost had enough, when something very interesting happened. He was poking around in a low cavern that had been formed by two large concrete slabs leaning against each other, and he saw something.

There was a shape that at first looked like a rock, but as Reno drew closer he found that it was not a rock at all... it was a person. A very familiar person with long, silver hair and a pretty face. "Holy shit," said Reno, recognizing the remnant instantly. The creature was definitely alive because he was breathing, but he didn't look as if he was doing so good. His eyes were closed and there was dirt and blood on his ivory skin and in his silver hair. But he was alive.

Reno was momentarily frozen, not able to take his eyes off the remnant. Now that the creature was not trying to kill him, Reno could fully appreciate how nice looking he was. That had been one of the hardest parts about fighting with him, because deep down Reno hadn't wanted to do anything to harm that pretty face. He supposed that's what made this remnant so dangerous, because who would want to hurt someone who looked so beautiful? But still, Reno remembered those cold, pitiless eyes which seemed to be able to cut someone into pieces with one glance... it was frightening.

Reno gave his head a little shake to rid it of these thoughts, he needed to stay focused on the situation at hand. He finally came to the conclusion that he should just go and get Rude. He would know what to do. "Rude!" Reno called over his shoulder, not daring to take his eyes off the remnant. After a moment Reno heard footsteps and Rude entered the small space.

"What?" Rude asked, not noticing the remnant. Reno nodded to the young male on the ground, and said,

"That's what." Rude looked to where Reno had gestured and walked a little closer to get a better look.. "It's still alive! What the hell are we going to do?" Reno inquired, glancing at remnant. Rude took his cell phone out of his pocket and said,

"I'm calling Rufus." Reno nodded and watched his partner dial the number. Rude then left the small cavern to have the conversation in private.

Reno glanced back down at the remnant. He realized, as he was looking down at the creature, that he didn't even know his name... not that he cared. But as Reno looked down at him he began pondering what sort of name would suit such a creature. He was so feminine, but with definite strength. Reno recalled the absolute grace of the remnant, the unreadable eyes and knowledgeable smirk. When Reno had first laid eyes on him he had thought that he would have to hold back because the creature hadn't looked that dangerous. In fact, Reno had been somewhat dazed by the beauty, he had found himself being drawn to the angelic face. But then he had seen that heartless smirk, the excitement that had blazed in those steely eyes while they had been engaged in combat. Reno shuddered.

About five minutes later Rude came back in, tucking his phone into his pocket. Reno looked at him for answers. "Rufus said we should take him back to Healin," said Rude.

"What!" Reno said, angrily.

"He says that the remnant has the ability to heal rapidly, if we leave him here he could heal and get loose. We simply can't allow that." Rude explained. Reno had to agree with his partner, even if he didn't like the whole idea at all.

"Well, come on then," Reno muttered. He bent down and carefully pulled the unconscious remnant up and supported his weight on his shoulder, he then slipped one of his arms around the thin waist and looked up at Rude for instructions. Rude raised his eyebrows and said,

"Take him to the chopper." Reno gave his partner an agitated look before walking over to the chopper, which was settled just a little ways away. As Reno dragged the remnant over to the chopper, he realized how light he was. It was surprising since he was so tall.

He reached the chopper and Rude, who had gotten there first, opened the door so he could pull the unconscious male into the back of the chopper. Reno put the remnant in the back then went up to the front where Rude was sitting. He began to sit down but Rude snapped his fingers and pointed to the back. "What?" Reno asked.

"You're sitting in the back and keeping an eye on him," said Rude, calmly. Reno stared at him,

"I am NOT sitting back there with that-"

"Reno, someone has to be sitting back there in case he wakes up," said Rude. Reno crossed his arms and said,

"Well, you can go do it! I refuse to site back there, and you can't make me!"

Ten minutes later Reno found himself at the back of the chopper muttering angry insults and swears under his breath. The remnant was asleep in front of him. "I can't believe I'm doing this, Reno muttered, bitterly. "I shouldn't have to be reduced to such a shity..." he heaved a heavy sigh and looked down at the remnant. Even in this irritated state, Reno could still take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this young male. If he hadn't been breathing, Reno would have guessed that the remnant was dead. He was so incredibly pale and the dark circles around his eyes didn't help. Reno craned his neck slight to get a better look. For some reason Reno felt a little guilty about causing the remnant to be in this state. He knew he shouldn't care, but still, it was hard to feel good about hurting someone so beautiful. It was kind of like... hitting a woman.

Reno gave his head a little shake. "What the hell am I thinking?" he muttered to himself. "This son of a bitch would kill me in a second without even thinking about it! Why am I getting all guilty?" Reno looked away from the remnant, but in just a few moments he found himself examining him again. His eye lashes were so long and dark, his skin so white... he didn't seem real. Reno's eye's traveled over his body. He would have never guessed that the remnant was so powerful because he looked thin and delicate... but he didn't look weak. No, definitely not weak... just pretty.

After a moment Reno found himself thinking about what would happen if the remnant woke up. That would not be good. Reno wasn't sure if he could take him on in the small space in the back of a chopper. "No," he said firmly, "I'm a Turk. I can basically do anything ." He looked back down at the young male who's eyelids twitched slightly. Reno tensed but nothing happened. "Jesus, I hate this."

A little while later Rude was setting the chopper down just outside of Healin Lodge. "Finally!" Reno exclaimed, opening the door and jumping out. He was greeted by Tseng, who was looking as serious as he always did. Elena was positioned somewhat behind him and her expression was one of slight amusement. "Yo," Reno greeted. Tseng nodded then said,

"Rufus tells me you found one of the Sephiroth clones in that mess you made of the tunnel." Reno sighed,

"Yeah, I found him. So what's Rufus planning on doing with him?" Tseng raised an eyebrow,

"Why do you care what he does with him?"

"I don't! I was just wondering," Reno snapped. Tseng nodded.

"Well, I believe for the time being he's going to be put in rehabilitation, and of course he'll put under close supervision." Reno chuckled,

"I feel sorry for whoever get's that job." Tseng raised his eyebrows and said,

"Funny you should say that, Reno." Reno glanced at him, bemused.

"Why?"

"Because Rufus was very clear that he wanted you to be the one that supervised him." Reno stared at him, a shock wave running through his entire body. Once the shock had passed, however, the anger set in.

"What?"

"You heard me. And you'd better not complain about this, Reno. It's your job. Rufus assigned you and Rude to watch him and make sure he doesn't try anything." Reno clenched his teeth and muttered,

"Look, I've been through hell trying to get rid of those sons of bitches and I will NOT babysit one of them!"

"Well, I'm sorry. Those are the orders that Rufus gave us," Tseng said, calmly. Reno took a step forward and said,

"Well, you can tell Rufus to go and shove those orders up his-" but whatever crude insult Reno was about to utter was cut off by Rude.

"Reno, come over here and help me with this!" Rude was attempting to lay the remnant on a stretcher to make it easier to transport him to wherever they were taking him. Reno made a small noise of aggravation and strode over to his partner. They laid the remnant onto the stretcher, Reno doing it with much more force than was necessary.

Tseng had called some medics and they took the stretcher, Reno and Rude followed them, Reno muttering angrily under his breath. The medics took the remnant to a part of Healin that Reno hadn't set foot in since he had broken two of his ribs a year or so ago. He remembered the smell of this place the most. He didn't much care for the smell of hospitals, and it bothered him that he would have to be spending hours on end here. Not that this was really a hospital... more of a rehabilitation ward. This was the place where the injured Turk's went to recuperate.

They followed the medics down the hall, then stopped in front of a door. One of the medics typed a code into a keypad on the door and it slid open. They rolled the stretcher into the room and Reno and Rude both followed them inside. Reno looked around, examining the room. It was large and pretty basic with a bed in the corner and a bedside table about a foot away from it. There was also a door that led to a small bathroom that was equipped with a sink, toilet and shower. "Not too shabby," Reno said, "better than he deserves," he nodded to the remnant. Nobody paid any attention to this statement.

The group of medics laid the remnant on the bed and began examining him. "Someone get that coat off of him so I can examine his ribs," said one of the men. A young woman stepped forward, carefully unzipped the remnant's jacket and gently pulled it off laying it on the beside table. Reno found himself staring at the remnant's white skin. It didn't seem right to be able to see his skin, this remnant seemed to be pretty modest about his body, making sure none of his skin was showing.

The medics flexed the young man's muscles and felt his bones. "There is no lasting injuries or internal dysfunctions. I'd say just leaving him to repair himself is the best way to deal with this," said one of the medics. The others nodded at his statement and one of them said,

"I still think doing a little research on this clone would be helpful. We should still have his files somewhere." Reno raised his eyebrows,

"What do you mean you have his files?" The medic who had made the comment turned to him,

"I'm sorry. That information is classified."

"Classified?" Reno laughed, "I'm a Turk. I'm supposed to know what's going on. So tell me, why would you have files on him?" The man looked sternly at Reno and said,

"As I said, that information is classified. I can't tell you." Reno stared at him. What the hell did that mean?

The group of medics gave them everything they needed to know, including the combination for the door, then left. Reno and Rude were left alone in the room with the unconscious remnant. Reno turned to Rude, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Do you know anything about this 'file' shit?" he asked. Rude shook his head and Reno sighed. He looked down at the clone. He had known that Shinra had done many experiments and had had many labs... but Reno had never given any thought to the fact that the three Sephiroth clones might have been made in one of them. Well, Reno didn't care anyway... but still, he was curious. He decided that if he ever got the chance, he would do some research of his own.

**Second chapter! YES! Haha, Ok well, having never written with Reno, it's probably not a very good characterization of him. But I tried. XD Ok, Well. I have more! HA! But once I get chapter three up here I'm afraid there will be a slight pause because I'm still working on chapter four. Anywho, hope you're enjoying it! **


	3. Chapter 3

XXX

Chapter three

"_Hey, Kadaj. Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine, Yazoo."_

"_Fine? Hmm, Little one... you're always trying to be so grown up. You don't have to act like that when I'm here, ok?" _

"_...Ok."_

Kadaj didn't know where this was, but it was warm and nice. He reached out, searching for anything that would help him figure out where he was, but there was nothing. He didn't want to open his eyes, he was so comfortable. But just as he was about to drift back off sleep, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Automatically all he senses began to start coming back. He was aware of a strange constricting feeling around his chest, he didn't like it. He was also aware of a dull throbbing in his head, and a very tender stomach.

What was going on? Where was he? The sound of a door opening and footsteps getting closer. He didn't remember anything about what had happened to him, his mind couldn't make sense of anything right now. He suddenly felt a hand touch his wrist as if checking his pulse. Even though he had no idea what was going on his body reacted faster than he could control.

He snapped up, grabbing the arm of whoever was trying to touch him. He heard a gasp and could tell that the person he had grabbed was a woman. He blinked hard, his eyes taking a minute to come into focus. He ignored the dizzy, light-headed feeling and the pain that shot through his body, and concentrated on the woman in front of him. This woman was someone he knew he'd seen once, but he didn't know her. She was tall and thin, with long black hair and brown eyes.

He stared at her for a moment, then decided to try and get some answers out of her. "Where am I?" he demanded, tightening his grip on her arm.

"My name is Tifa, please, you don't have to be alarmed. I'm a friend of Cloud's. He brought you here after you passed out. This is my bar, it's called Seventh Heaven," said the woman. At those words memories came flooding back into Kadaj's mind. He remembered fighting Cloud, he remembered Sephiroth taking over, he remembered... dying. But it couldn't have been dying because here he was, alive... so what had happened? He looked down at himself and saw that his chest was bandaged, which would explain the discomfort he was feeling.

While he was mulling all of this over in his mind, the girl called Tifa took the opportunity to pull her arm out of his grasp. He stared at her for a moment, but then something else captured his attention. The bedroom door opened and a spiky-haired blond male entered. He looked surprised to see Kadaj awake and stood awkwardly in the doorway. Kadaj could feel an automatic tension enter the air as he made eye contact with the blond.

"Cloud," said Tifa, looking relieved to see him. Cloud looked briefly at her, then averted his gaze back to the teen sitting on the bed. Kadaj raised his eyebrows as the blond walked slowly inside, neither of them braking eye contact. Tifa seemed to sense the absolute tension because she turned to Cloud and said, "I'll just go and check on the kids, ok? You can call me if you need me." And with that she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

There was a long and intense silence, then Cloud spoke. "How... how are you feeling?" Kadaj's eyes narrowed

"Why do you care?" The blond shifted awkwardly and hid slightly behind the high collar of his shirt, looking perplexed.

"Never said I did."

"Hmm. Good. Last thing I need is _you_ caring about me. Anyway, How long have I been here?" the teen asked, sitting up a little straighter and looking around the room.

"You were out for two weeks, if that's what you're asking." Kadaj looked around at him, stunned that he could have been unconscious for that long.

"Two weeks?" The blond nodded, bluntly. Kadaj frowned, trying to remember anything he could. This proved to be a useless action because the teen couldn't really remember anything at all. Just random images and noise. He shook his head in frustration, then looked up at the blond, who was watching him.

"You were pretty badly hurt. I doubt you'll remember anything." Kadaj met his gaze and then smirked,

"And whose fault is that, pray tell?" Cloud shifted uncomfortably again, avoiding the teens cold eyes.

Kadaj let out a soft, dangerous chuckle that made the hair on the back of Cloud's neck stand up. He bravely looked up at the teen to see that he still had that small, confident smirk playing around his perfect mouth.

The teen watched him for a moment, then repositioned himself on the bed, balancing on the balls of his feet. "So, Nissan," Kadaj said, still in that cold tone, "why did you bring me here?" Cloud glanced up at him.

"Everyone deserves a second chance... even you." Kadaj frowned,

"Even me? Hmm, I didn't ask for a second chance," he muttered, "you just assumed that I wanted one."

"Well don't you?"

"Why would I? I don't recall ever doing anything wrong," he said, smirking. Cloud sighed, slightly agitated by the youth's stubborn behavior.

"You know what you did was wrong."

"Do I?"

"You must. You hurt a lot of people just to get what you wanted... you must know that's not right." Something flickered behind the teens eyes, and his smile faded a little.

"They deserved it. All of them," the younger male stated, cooly. Cloud raised his eyebrows,

"Really? Because something tells me that the only reason you acted that way was because... you were angry." Kadaj looked away, his eyes resembling dark, deep pools of water.

"You have no idea what I went through," the teen hissed, through gritted teeth. His angry eyes met with Cloud's and he began to speak again. "You have no idea what it feels like to love someone so entirely, then find out that they were just using you! Mother never loved me! She only wanted HIM!" the teen yelled, pounding his fists on the mattress beneath him. "I gave so much to her! I let her take over! I said horrible things to my siblings because she said they had done wrong! I tortured people for reasons I didn't even know! All my life I've been lied to, I've been treated like I was nothing! I grew to hate everyone who wasn't going to give me what I wanted... and in the end... I hated myself to." The teen's voice broke and he lowered his head, hiding behind his curtain of silver hair.

Cloud looked at the youth, his heart going out to him. "That's why I brought you here," he said, gently, "so you can start over. A new life where you can be your own person. You can change, I know you can." Kadaj looked up at him, eyes teary and deep.

"Why are you being so kind to me? I did nothing but cause you trouble," the teen whispered. Cloud thought for a moment. Why had he decided to help? Because Aerith had told him to? Because everyone deserved a chance to live life right? Or maybe... it was because Cloud felt something for this youth... something deeper than the desire to help.

"Because, you need a little kindness in your life." Kadaj stared at him, his expression blank.

"And if I don't change... what then? Will you kill me, or hand me over to Shinra?" Cloud blinked; he hadn't thought of that. What if the youth didn't change? What if he continued hurting and killing people out of pure anger? What would Cloud do?

"I hope it doesn't come to that," the blond replied. Kadaj continued watching him through those large cat-like eyes.

"But if it does?" There was a pause,

"I don't know. I don't know what will happen. It's up to you to make the right choice." Kadaj looked down again, frowning.

"And what if I don't know what the right choice is?" Cloud shrugged,

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." Kadaj considered the other's words, his eye's narrowing in thought. After a moment he looked up again, this time with slight determination in his eyes.

" I'm not going to make you any promises. Some people never change, after all. But as you

said, we'll just have to wait and see."

**And here's chapter three! Oh boy, now I have to write chapter four... which I haven't started yet. That's gonna be hard what with homework and everything... OH WELL! Haha, ok well, if I don't post chapter four for a while, don't loose hope because I'm still working on it! I swear I WILL NOT GIVE UP! You might just have to wait a while in between chapters XD Well, I'll try to write more so I can start making it interesting wink So, yeah! Thanks for reading! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

XXX

Somewhere in his mind Yazoo knew he was in pain, but, at the moment, he was so disoriented that he couldn't tell which part of his body was in pain. He tried to focus on his surroundings, but he just couldn't, he was so tired. He could hear a soft beeping sound; seemingly distant because of his groggy mind. Slowly his senses began returning, and as they did, he was aware of a great many new sensations and scents.

Yazoo opened his eyes, wincing slightly as they were met by a bright light. There was nothing above him except white. An endless white ceiling, nothing else. Yazoo felt a stab of panic. Where was he? Where were his brothers? He didn't feel there presence, that scared him. The beeping noise was much closer now, right beside him. He could feel something in his arm, an irritating sensation that he knew and didn't like. All the feelings, the sounds, the smells and the seemingly endless white ceiling only pointed to one thing. Hospital.

He sat up bolt right; his urgent eyes searching his surroundings. This room was nauseatingly innocent looking; its white and blue color scheme making Yazoo feel even more unsafe. His gaze fell upon an IV which was positioned next to the bed. Suddenly realizing that the IV had to be there for a reason, he looked down at his arm and saw a thin tube inserted into his vain. Panicked, his swiftly reached down and pulled it out, ignoring the small ounce of pain that it caused. After pulling a few heart monitors off of his chest, he swiftly swung his legs over the side of the mattress and got up, catching his balance as he felt a dizziness sweep over him.

Looking down at himself he realized more, intently, that his clothes had been changed. He was now wearing just a simple pair of black pants. He shuddered at the fact of knowing someone had touched him. He hated touch unless it came from Kadaj or Loz, and knowing that someone had undressed him made him feel sick. But there were bigger things to worry about. He needed to get himself out of this area as soon as possible.

He glanced around the room, his eyes fixing on a door. He walked closer to it, and just as he came within three feet of it, it opened, admitting two middle aged men in white coats, both carrying thin black cases. There was a moment in which time seemed to be frozen. Yazoo stared at the two doctors and they stared right back. He backed up slightly, keeping direct eye contact as one of the men gave a forced smile and stepped closer.

"Hello there, seems you're awake," the doctor said, in a the sort of tone one would use while talking to a child. Yazoo kept his eyes fixed on, not the man speaking to him, but on the man behind the other, who was reaching into his coat for something. "Ah, I see you've removed the IV," said the doctor in front, still using that sickly sweet voice. "I'm afraid that because of that we're going to have to give you an injection, if that's ok." No, that was not ok. Yazoo's eyes snapped directly onto the doctor who had just made that atrocious statement. The man edged closer, opening the thin, black case in his hand and extracting a small needle.

At the sight of the needle, Yazoo's eyes widened and he took a few more steps backward, clenching his fists tightly. The man drew slowly closer, "Oh, no, no," he said in what he seemed to think was a soothing tone, "this wont hurt, it's alright. Now if you could just hold still-" but that was all Yazoo waited for. In one quick movement he swooped forward and kicked the doctor as hard as he could, sending him flying into the wall. He whipped around, his cold eyes fixing on the second man who had slammed his palm against a small button like protrusion on the wall.

Quickly coming to the conclusion that the doctor had just called for security, Yazoo swiftly moved forward and also kicked him into the wall. When he was sure that both of them were out, he moved swiftly, searching through their pockets for anything helpful. He found the combination for the locked door and stood up, walking quickly over to the keypad and entering the code. The door slid smoothly open and he walked swiftly into a windowless hallway that was glowing with the artificial light of the lamps overhead.

He stood there for a moment, trying to decide which way to go. Then, upon hearing approaching footsteps, he quickly ran down the hall, taking a right turn and hiding there in the shadows as a few security members ran past, holding what looked like stun guns. He let out the breath he had been holding and took a moment to calm himself down, thinking of what he should do. It was clear that he was in some sort hospital, but where, he did not know. He was ashamed to admit that he felt frightened and confused, but most of all, he felt empty.

What had happened? He couldn't remember. Loz was not here, he knew that for a fact. He had always been able to feel his brothers presence, so he knew Loz was not here. As for Kadaj... Yazoo's eyes closed tightly in frustration, trying to remember anything he could. He couldn't feel Kadaj directly, but he didn't feel the same emptiness that he had with Loz. Did that mean his younger brother was still alive? What had happened to him after Yazoo and Loz had lost him during the pursuit of Cloud Strife?

He sank to the ground, tangling his fingers in his hair as though he thought it would return his lost memories. They had been chasing Cloud on the highway, and that's when they had lost Kadaj. But why? He gripped his hair tighter, then it came back to him. There had been an explosion in the tunnel; an explosion that had been caused by that redheaded Turk. Yazoo remembered seeing the Turk right before the explosion went off. Anger flooded through him as he remembered the sly smirk on the redheads lips right before the bomb went off.

He let out a low hiss of a sigh, looking back up at the dark wall across from him. He was alone; alone in a strange place full of doctors and needles and enemies. He didn't think he would ever have to go through this again, at least, not alone.

A panic rouse in his chest as he heard footsteps, much closer this time. He stood up and ran into the hallway he had just ran out of. He ran quickly and quietly for a few moments until he rounded a corner and came face to face with three security guards. "Here!" One of the guards yelled, "He's here!" Yazoo didn't waste anymore time and ran forward, quickly managing to knock all three of them. But, as soon as he finished those three off, he heard more footsteps and looked behind him, seeing five more guards running towards him.

Everything seemed to be happening in fast forward. Before Yazoo knew it, he was grabbed from behind while all the while trying to kick all the others away from him. He struggled in the firm hold of the guard who had him, repetitively attempting to slam the other into the wall behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw more guards approaching. He struggled harder, but suddenly felt handcuffs slide over his wrists and the guard grabbed the back of his neck, roughly forcing his head down.

He kicked backward and caught the man in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. He stood up straight, fixing the others with a cold glare before rushing towards them. Although handcuffed, Yazoo was still able to defend himself extremely well, and within moments he had kicked the other guards into unconsciousness. He stood there for a moment, catching his breath, his silver hair falling in front of his beautiful face.

"Overdoing it a little, don't you think?" The voice came from behind Yazoo, causing him to jump in surprise and wonder how he had not sensed the presence of another. He spun around and lay eyes on a familiar redheaded Turk, who was leaning casually against the wall, his weapon resting lightly over his shoulder. "What are you staring at, cupcake. You must remember your old pal Reno," the redhead drawled, puling out a cigarette, taking it between his teeth and then flipping out a lighter to ignite the end.

Yazoo kept his icy eyes fixed upon the Turk, taking in every movement he made, every detail of this scruffy looking redhead. He did, of course, remember him. This Turk was not easily forgotten, with his shock of wild crimson hair, pale skin and cocky attitude. He had shown an extreme amount of energy and will power while he had been fighting with Yazoo; never giving up or letting someone else dominate. In a way, Yazoo had been slightly interested in the brashness and intensity of the Turk, finding the energy he gave off to be rather fascinating and, interestingly enough, refreshing. But, this Turk had also been the one responsible for concealing Mother and placing an explosive device in the tunnel that Yazoo and Loz had been tailing Cloud in. Therefore, this Turk had murdered Loz, and deserved death.

"What is it princess? Nothing to say?" the redhead said, smirking at the cold eyed remnant. Yazoo stood up to his full height, keeping eye contact with the Turk. He took a few steps closer, his eyelids drooped slightly, giving him an alluring look, a soft but fake smile on his face.

"Of course I remember you. How could I forget such a pretty face?" the beauty said in the most melodic and sensual voice he could manage. The Turk raised his eyebrows as the beautiful creature stopped a few feet in front of him, his whole persona giving off a 'come and get me' kind of feel... it was sexy.

"What was your name again, princess?" the redhead asked, flicking the cigarette in his mouth around with his tongue. The silver haired beauty gave that cold smile again, and took another step closer.

"Yazoo."

"Well, Yazoo, looks like you've gotten yourself into a bit of trouble. Messing with Shinra isn't the best idea."

"No? Why is that?" Yazoo asked, coyly tilting his head to the side. Reno surveyed the others alluring but blank eyes, his soft yet icy smile and felt that strange interest he seemed to have in the remnant flare up inside of him.

"Heh, you've got a lot to learn about this place, cupcake," Reno said, not noticing the dead look in the others eyes.

Yazoo gave another smile and closed the gap between them and leaned in to whisper in the others ear. "Well then Reno, perhaps you'd like to educate me." Reno felt a shiver run up his spine at the beauty's words. He was so stunned that he wasn't ready for what happened next. Yazoo took advantage of the Turks foolishness and in one swift move, kicked him hard in the chest, sending his crashing forcefully into the concrete wall.

"Shit, you son of a bitch," Reno said, eyes watering in pain as he tried to get up. Yazoo kicked him back onto the floor leaning in to say,

"You should really learn to keep you guard up." The remnant smirked and walked over to the pile of guards he had just knocked out, kneeling down and searching for the keys to his handcuffs. He found them clenched in the hand of the man who had put them on him, and he leaned down, taking them in his teeth and then tossing them over his shoulder, where he caught them.

Reno lay there, trying to catch his breath, helplessly watching as the pretty remnant unlocked the handcuffs and threw them aside. He then reached down and pulled a gun out of the guards hand and examined it, a smile flitting over his perfect lips. He stood up straight and glanced at Reno, who was starting to get up again. Yazoo walked over to the redhead and knelt down before him, taking hold of his chin and forcing him to look up.

Reno gritted his teeth, glaring up at Yazoo who gave him a cold look.

"Did you honestly think I was going to let you catch me? You really are a fool, aren't you," Yazoo murmured in a soft voice, meeting the others eyes. Reno suddenly smirked, and leaned closer to that pretty face.

"Better to be foolish than empty, wouldn't you say?" Yazoo's eyes went blank and he looked at the redhead, moving back slightly.

"At least I don't feel shame or embarrassment the way you must," he hissed, eyes narrowing, Reno just smiled and leaned even closer, his breath tickling the remnants face.

"Yeah... but can you feel this?" Reno's hand suddenly swung out from behind his back where he had been hiding it, and Yazoo barely had time to think when he felt something stick into his neck. His eyes widened as he realized Reno had gotten him with a syringe and was now injecting something into his veins. Yazoo's eyes met Reno's and the Turk felt a strange feeling come over him as he saw the look of fear flash through the remnants eyes.

The world begun to spin before Yazoo's eyes. Whatever the Turk had injected him with was taking affect, and fast. His vision was blurring out and he felt himself falling, but he didn't hit the ground. Instead he fell into arms, and the last thing he saw before everything went black, was Reno looking down at him, with something like regret in his eyes.

**XXX**

**Hey guys, haven't updated this in ages, mainly because I haven't had the time and also because I was writing another fanfiction, which is almost ready to go up here! Yeah! Anyway, this is just sort of something that I threw together last night at like 3 in the morning so it probably sucks big time but whatever. **

**Review please**


	5. Chapter 5

XXX

CHAPTER FIVE

"_Look at you, so pathetic, so stupid, a fool. You think you'll be accepted? You're a killer, Kadaj… who would ever want you? Who could ever love you? Stupid Child, you'll never be anything but a worthless puppet." _

"_Shut up!" he screamed back, clamping his eyes shut and trying to hide in the blackness that surrounded him. A soft chuckle echoed around him, cruel and cold as it always was,_

"_Shut up? So, you're stupid and disrespectful. No wonder Mother didn't want you… She knew what a coward you really are."_

"_I'm not a coward!" Another cold laugh and he suddenly screamed as he felt a white hot pain in his chest. He looked down to see a long, thin blade protruding from his chest, blood splattering the floor as the blade was pulled back out, and he gasped for air, eyes wide._

"_Well, you certainly scream like one." _

_He was bleeding, dying and screaming. Screaming for anything, for anyone, for the slightest bit of warmth or light to pull him out of this suffocating darkness. 'Help,' he thought as he watched his blood spill onto the ground, 'please help!'_

"Kadaj? Kadaj!"

Kadaj shot up, eyes flying wide open, breathing heavily. His immediate reaction was to jump back and press himself against the headboard, his eyes flashing dangerously. But when he looked up, the pair of eyes that met his own were not the cruel, snake like jade ones he always saw in his dreams, they were the warm, deep blue orbs of a certain blond swordsman.

"It's ok," the blond male said quietly, "it's me…" Cloud was standing at the side of the bed, watching the teen with something like concern glittering in those deep, cerulean orbs. Kadaj took deep steadying breaths, closing his eyes and subconsciously running a hand over his bare chest, as though making sure the blade that had run through it had definitely been part of the nightmare. His eyes snapped open again as he felt the mattress shift slightly and was surprised to see that the blond had sat himself on the side of the bed and was still watching him closely, brows furrowed. Still breathing deeply, the younger male said, in the most controlled voice he could manage,

"What… what do you want?"

Cloud frowned again, "You were screaming… I came to see if… if you were ok…" he averted his gaze, shifting slightly as though embarrassed.

"Well, I'm fine," the youth tried, quickly wiping away the tears from his jade eyes. Cloud's eyes swept over him, taking in his sweat covered skin, the remaining tears on his cheeks and the way his body trembled violently. Kadaj had been at Seventh Heaven nearly four weeks, yet Cloud still found him to be the most unpredictable and mysterious person he had ever come across. His mood could change in the blink of an eye with no warning, and just when he seemed like he might open up a little, he shut himself off completely and became moody and hostile. But, he had at least stopped throwing fits and mostly kept to himself, never venturing passed his bedroom. He also hadn't been eating, which concerned the blond, but he supposed he should just be content with the fact that the teen was even talking to him.

Lately though, these nightmares had been bothering the youth almost every night, and until now, Cloud had always left it alone, knowing that the teen would most likely just tell him to get out anyway. But, when the youth had called Cloud's name tonight, he couldn't ignore his distressed cries any longer, besides, he would never gain the teens trust if he didn't show him that he _could _trust him.

"You're shaking," he said softly, glancing up and meeting the teens eyes for a split second before looking away again. Kadaj tried to control the shaking so that it wouldn't show, but somehow it only made it worse and he shook even harder. They were both quiet for a moment then Cloud spoke,

"What happened?"

Kadaj shook his head, looking away, trying to hide his tear filled eyes from the elder male. "Nothing," he said quietly, "nothing happened. It's late, go back to bed." The blond looked at him for a long moment, his eyes unreadable, which annoyed Kadaj greatly and he heaved a frustrated sigh. "Look, I'm fine just get ou-"

"You were calling my name, Kadaj," the blond said in a low voice, his eyes burning into the teens. Kadaj swallowed and looked down at his hands, his hair shielding his face from the blond.

"It…" he murmured quietly, "it was just a dream… just a dream." Cloud nodded vaguely then very slowly reached out to the teen and carefully brushed his hair back with his fingers. Kadaj jumped and looked up at him, meeting his eyes in an intense stare. Cloud slid his hand down slightly, gently took the youths chin and said very softly,

"Ok." Kadaj stared at him, eyes wide, not entirely sure what to do. He'd never been touched this gently by anyone except Yazoo, and the fact that it was Cloud only startled him more. The blond gave him a very odd look that looked almost like affection and said, "get some sleep. I'm here if you need me." And with that, he was on his feet and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

XXX

The next morning Kadaj stood outside the doorway to the kitchen in Seventh Heaven, debating whether or not he should actually show his face in there. Even though he'd been at Seventh Heaven for almost 4 weeks now, he still knew hardly anything. Not that in wasn't understandable, after all, two of those weeks he'd been passed out, and since then he'd been hiding up in his room, being as absolutely anti-social and difficult as he could, despite the talk he and Cloud had had about changing. He knew that the woman Tifa was not at all fond of having him at Seventh Heaven, and if he was correct, the two children that also resided here were two of the children that he and his brothers had kidnapped, so he didn't exactly feel welcomed.

He bit his bottom lip and opened the door, entering the kitchen. The kitchen was bright and sunny, and had a warmth to it that couldn't rightfully be explained, but that warmth was quickly stamped upon as the two children sitting at the table looked up at him and gave him a cold look.

"Cloud, is that you?" Tifa stood at the stove, clearly making something for the children at the table. She turned, beginning to say, "you got a call-" but she cut herself off as she lay her dark eyes on the thin silver haired youth. "Oh," she said, "it's you…" Kadaj looked at the floor, feeling slightly annoyed by the tone of her voice . A silence engulfed the kitchen, broken only by the sounds of whatever Tifa was cooking crackling in the pan on the stove. The door suddenly opened again and Kadaj was nearly bumped by Cloud, who jumped back slightly as he realized who was standing before him. Their eyes locked together, the memory of the night before reflected in both their eyes. Kadaj offered the smallest of smiles, which the blond accepted with the slightest tilt of the head and a warm expression on his handsome face.

"Cloud," Tifa broke in, and the two looked around at her. "You got a call from someone in Junon, they want a package delivered today. I told them we could manage it, that sound good?"

Cloud blinked, frowning slightly, then after a slight pause he replied, "Yeah. Do you have the order and address ready?"

She nodded, "Of course. I'll go get it. You'll have to leave now if you want to make good time." Cloud nodded slowly as she turned off the stove and left the room, pushing by Kadaj with a slight coldness in her dark eyes.

"Cloud do you really have to go out today?" the little dark haired girl at the table said in a whiny little voice that greatly irritated Kadaj and caused him to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"Apparently," the blond replied, and Kadaj noticed the irritated tone in his otherwise calm voice. He met the blonds eyes for a split second then looked away from him, and for some reason he couldn't explain, his cheeks flushed slightly.

After a few moments the kids decided to leave the kitchen and Kadaj found himself alone with the blond.

"How are you?" Cloud asked softly, glancing at him with slight concern.

"I'm alright," the teen replied quietly, looking at his feet.

They were quiet for a moment, then the blond spoke again, "Do you want to come?" Kadaj looked up at him quickly in confusion.

"What?"

"Do you want to come with me… on the delivery," Cloud clarified, meeting the teens eyes. Kadaj felt his heart leap slightly as the blond said this and he tilted his head slightly to the left.

"You want me to come with you?"

Cloud shrugged, "Just figured it might be nice, since you've been up on your room for so long."

Kadaj nodded, "Yeah… I'd like that."

**Yeah, don't worry I'm not leaving it just like that. Next chapter is following them to Junon! ^_^ I think it will probably up sometime soon considering that I'm in the mood to write some CloudxKadajness soo yeah! Expect it soon!**


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